Post by Artemis Kaiser on Nov 26, 2017 18:10:22 GMT -5
There’s only darkness at the beginning of the video. When SHIDO’s voice comes on, the audio is set on Mono hitting on the right side.
“If you’re wondering, I made sure the audio hit the right side. I want you to hear my dulcet tones.”
The sounds of rushing water strike the audio airwaves, the primary thing that accompanies the video package as it opens up. Nothing but the ocean waves lightly pushing the sides of the boat that the camera is apparently on. A fair day out, with the sounds of crew members bustling around and seagulls cawing were the most appealing of the customary seafaring noises. As the view pans backward, it reveals the crew wasn’t even of this period, is that of the Golden Age of Piracy. Obscenely worded commands were spewed, which contrasted the arrival of Emery Layton’s opponent for Burning Hammer. Stepping gently on the boat, SHIDO’s attire was out of place. Wearing an attire consisting of a black suit of the modern era, SHIDO breezed past the crew members with none of them the wiser to his existence. Soon, he rested inside of the captain’s quarters, and he sat in the capital seat staring fondly into the camera.
“Hello, Emery, my name is SHIDO. I hail from the Elysium Fields, an affiliate of Union Battleground, and I’m impressed that they’ve pitted me against you,” he smirked, “against you, Emery, the award-winning champion that should be seen as the Ace of the company. Union Battleground sees me as a commodity, a succulent flavor that should be held at the highest place. I applaud you, Axel Graves, for your incredible eye for talent and structure.”
When SHIDO clapped, a rhapsody of applause followed his actions. A distortion crept through the entire confines of the ship, rippling the overall image. The broken Paradise that SHIDO once resided laid behind the traditional veil that he had crafted.
"I see you,” he said with a brief lick of his lips, “and you look delicious.”
“Oh, where are my manners? It’s something that I’m sure you’re not exactly used to, but let me explain myself.”
“You see, this invitation to face you has piqued my interest, as such I had to look into you. I had to see what you are--your mortality,” SHIDO put out his hands towards the camera, curling his fingers slowly into fists, “and my, was I impressed by what I saw.”
“I saw fire not just in that hair of yours, but I saw it in your spirit. A spitfire that seeks out the riches of life, wishing to learn by personal experience alone. It's something that many try to replicate, but never succeed at it."
“What occurs when that spirit of yours sends you closer to something that you can’t understand?”
“Hello, Emery, I shall repeat,” he gleamed, “and I’m SHIDO and I’m the Edge of Reality. When you step into the ring with me, I see a meal, a mortal with talent and fury beyond her existence. I see someone who will step closer to me and want to push past reality into a realm that she will not be able to handle. That gung-ho attitude of yours will get you not just hurt, but possibly worse. For you to push past me is to enter Paradise, my Paradise. So I will ask.”
SHIDO spread his arms out.
“Will you burn in the sun?”
SHIDO stood up, stepping lightly away from the captain’s quarters. As it did, a fire began to spread throughout the ship, eating away at it. None of the flames touched SHIDO as he calmly made his way through destruction. Navy officers raided the boat, executing the pirates. SHIDO stopped and gazed upon the beheading of one pirate, and smirked as their killer held their head up for all to see. Continuing on his way, SHIDO bore witness to another distortion etching out throughout the ship.
“I couldn’t harp on your failures, for your success is so much greater. It’s improper to sit here and try to deride you as a loser because you’re the one with the championship that everyone wants. You’re the woman who has taken XWA by storm. You’re the Lord of the Ring, who will do war soon against two of the brightest stars in the company for the top prize. Your stock rises with every day, but as I’ve told even the greatest I know--”
“You’re only human.”
“For I’ve found your weakness. I know what I can exploit beyond what others have already tried to beforehand. Is it your fire, your spirit? No, of course not,” a snicker fell between his words, “it’s the recklessness that comes with it. I’m meticulous, patient, and the opposing force to your raging pyre. I’ll watch your steps, seeing you engage me. I’ll see you try to possess me as I dissect each piece of your world until I have you regress back into the confines of your mind. That’s where I’ll sink my fangs into you, where I can finally taste you.”
SHIDO reached the end of the ship and leaped off into the waters. As soon as he hit, the camera shifted upside down into a new location. SHIDO landed on his feet perfectly and made his strides more in-depth into the environment. A throne sat waiting for him, to which he sat down. Drawing his leg over the other, SHIDO remarked the statues that were made to ogle his position. She swept loose strands from out of his face, and he looked out to the camera--it was resting on the ground, staring up at SHIDO.
“Welcome to my Paradise. Emery, I think I shall drop the pretenses.”
“I like what I see out of you, and for someone like myself where I have committed to my mission in Elysium, I don’t get these chances often."
"Let’s just say that I’ve been in a particular kind of mood as of late, where the only solution to seek out competition to help satiate my lust,” he snickered, bundling his fingers into one another, “as such, I feel like I need to make a terrible mess out of you.”
“And I don’t mean the physical kind, that’s boring. I meant that I need to draw this match out, giving you the opportunity to put me only to snatch it away from you. That high octane offense of yours doesn’t cater to my patient style. I want to show Union Battleground who SHIDO truly is. I’m not some godly figure, the Heavenly Emperor, that praises his every action. I’m a destroyer of Man, a misanthropic being that doesn’t care for the chaff that tries to defeat him. I care for you, Emery Layton, and I’m passionate about watching you squirm.”
“This is what I meant by not understanding me. It's not understanding 'me', no, that’s not important for this precious, once-in-a-lifetime match. When I said that you'd never understand what lies beyond, I meant you wouldn't during those times when you’re given a chance to breathe. When you will be outside of the ring, looking in at the composed terror that is I.”
“The things that I do are actions that you, your partner Fenric, or even your boyfriend, Morales, can understand. It’ll only happen once, but you’ll go throughout the rest of your promising career. You’ll win the XWA Supreme Championship or the Union Battleground Championship. You’ll have the Hall of Fame career, go down as one of the greats, because that’s what I see in you.”
A distortion showed the actual appearance of SHIDO’s Paradise, where the statues were all decapitated and broken down. The atmosphere was suffocating with negativity and despair. Even SHIDO didn’t bear his snowy white locks anymore or his serene expression. Behind all the sanctimonious veils lied a grin that dripped with venom and madness. It only lasted a vital moment, and it all faded back to allow SHIDO’s heavenly appearance to return.
“However, you’ll go throughout the rest of your years, wondering about what this young, eccentric Korean boy--what SHIDO did to you. You’ll remark on the match where a guest came into Union Battleground and made a sniveling wreck of their Trench War Champion, one of their most precious pieces. Will it be a nightmare? Will it be a dream, something to look up to? I’m not sure how your mind exactly operates in these moments of weakness.”
“The only conclusion that you need to realize is that SHIDO will change you, make you understand…”
“Make you, Emery Layton, the careless pirate, for the first time in your entire career…”
SHIDO smirked a final time, with a distortion showing the gruesome monster behind the illusion.
